Black versus McKinnon
by Enya-Evans-Everdeen-Pevensie
Summary: Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon secretly like each other. They're too stubborn to admit it, so they come up with an idea. An incredibly stupid idea, actually. They decide to try and persuade the other person before the year's over. It leads to funny pranks, mean rejections, awkward situations and lots and lots of rumors. Still, they are both determined to win.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

**Monday, 8:13 A.M.**

It was Monday morning when Marlene McKinnon, Alice Prewett and Lily Evans made their way down to the Great Hall. It was the last week before the Christmas holidays in their seventh year, and every student was tired of the gigantic amounts of homework and the constant, non-stopping blabbering of the tiring teachers. They just wanted a break, because – Merlin help them – they wanted to kill all of the teachers that dared to say: "Dear Miss McKinnon, you look right wretched. Maybe you should get a good night of sleep?" or "Miss Evans, I suggest you go to Madame Pomefrey, she surely has a potion against tiredness and tired eyes. Why are you staying up so late?" and "Alice Prewett, I highly recommend you stay away from your boyfriend until the Christmas break. Obviously he distracts you from your homework, am I right?" when Marlene couldn't get a good night sleep because of the stress school brought with it, Lily stayed up so late because otherwise she'd fail Transfiguration and Alice hadn't seen Frank in a week thanks to the piles of work on her desk. Sometimes, the three girls thought about quitting school and go working in the Three Broomsticks, since they were of age now.

Like always, it were the Marauders and Frank who changed their minds. Most of the time it would go like this:

"Hey Evans? You're not quitting school, are you?"

"Well, I'm sincerely thinking about it," she replied.

"You know, if you did, you'll never see my handsome face anymore," he grinned cockily.

Everyone knew Lily Evans was warming up to James Potter, although she'd never admit it.

"Another reason for me to do it," Lily teased and James shut up, pouting for the rest of the day until she ruffled his hair and brightened his day doing so.

Alice, on the other hand, didn't think of quitting school as soon as she saw Frank's face, but her aside, the only one left was Marlene.

"If anyone cares, I'd say I was going to stay, too, but who am I?" she laughed, rolling her eyes at the obvious sexual tension between James and Lily.

"I care," Sirius said, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her body closer to his. "Believe me, I care."

"Keep it in your pants, Black," Marlene hissed and she gave him his arm back. "Your easy tricks don't work on me."

"You sure about that? I bet you seven Galleons you fall for my charms before the end of the year," he swore, his teeth biting his lip in excitement. There was something in his eyes, a sparkle, and Marlene couldn't resist teasing him.

"I bet you eight Galleons _you_ fall for _my _charms," she laughed, holding out her hand.

"Well, miss McKinnon, I'll take that bet. The first one who can persuade the other to kiss him or her, wins." Sirius and Marlene shook hands and looked heartily at each other. "Let the best win."

"Oh, I will," Marlene grinned.

What they didn't know was the fact they both secretly liked each other. Sirius, for example, found out in sixth year he wasn't looking at random girls in the library, but only at Marlene. His mates teased him with that and started the rumor that Sirius Black fancied Marlene McKinnon, but luckily for him, she didn't believe that. But the feelings were still there. Imagine that: the famous Sirius Black falls for an ordinary girl.  
Marlene, on the other hand, was still unsure about her feelings for Sirius. She kept telling herself it was just physical attraction, because, let's face it, Sirius Black is one good looking bloke. She made herself believe they weren't feelings, but normal teenage hormones. She almost believed it. Almost.

_This is going to be a long year_, they both thought. _But I'm sure as hell going to win that stupid bet._

And so, ladies and gentlemen, it began.


	2. Common Room surprises - chapter one

**Friday, 8:51 P.M.**

"_There is a lock you want to open. Which spell do you use?_" Marlene McKinnon read aloud. She was in the Gryffindor common room doing her Charms homework since the storm outside raged over the Hogwarts grounds and she had nothing else to do. Sad, wasn't it? "That's an easy one," she decided, sipping her cup of hot chocolate. _Alohomora_." She wrote it down and read the next question. "_You're attacked by a group of Dementors and you have to cast a Patronus charm. Which sort of memory do you muster in your mind?_"

_Hmmmm… Lily told me about this only yesterday, _Marlene thought. She looked around, trying to find her best friend in the nearly deserted common room. Everyone was at the Great Hall, or was spread over the whole school. After all, it _was _Friday night. Only Frank and Alice sat in a corner of the common room, but they were snogging heatedly, so Marlene decided not to interrupt them.

"C'mon, McKinnon. What memory do you muster in your mind?" she said to herself. She tapped her quill against her piece of parchment, hoping it would help her remember. The portrait hole opened and someone walked in, but Marlene didn't notice, as she was concentrating on her homework.

"Well, well, well," said the person who had just arrived in the common room to her, "doing your homework on a Friday night? That's quite pathetic, you know?"

"Sod off, Black. Go harass someone else," Marlene snapped. Lily was warming up to James, so it was conducive for their early friendship, but sometimes something inside of her snapped when Sirius Black was in the picture. The boy in question was nibbling on a Bertie Botts Every Flavour bean and made a face.

"Whoa, love. No need to spit fire," he simply said as he swallowed it. He dropped himself on the couch next to her, his head in her lap. The fire crackled cozily in the fireplace as he grinned at her. "What's got your knickers in a twist?"

Well, where could she start? Maybe with the fact both Alice and Lily had a boyfriend and she was still all alone? Well, technically, James and Lily weren't a couple, but yeah, it wouldn't take them long anymore. It could also be the fact that the teachers had given them loads of homework, and since she was a total disaster at Charms, she was required to make spare essays and tasks so she didn't fail her O.W.L.s, so that caused long, lonely weekends without anything to do but homework, homework and –oh yeah, how could she forget – homework. "Nothing. Though you do a good job irritating me at the moment," she replied, slapping his hand away when he pushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"My goal in life," he winked and she had to fight the reflex to roll her eyes. Instead she said: "Go comb your hair or something like that, Black. I have more important things to do than talking to you."

"But McKinnon," he whined, "you're so pretty. I'd be a complete dolt to leave you alone."

"Hate to break it to your, dear, but you _are_ a complete dolt." This time, she did roll her eyes.

"Aw, McKinnon, you wound me. Big time. The only way you can make it up now, is kissing me," he said, puckering his lips and closing his eyes.

"In your dreams, Black," she said as she pushed a pillow in his face. She put her parchment on top of it, and forced her brain to remember the answer to question seven. Suddenly, something in her snapped and she remembered. "A happy one! Yeah, of course, you tart! Only your happiest memory can help you in that situation!" She slapped her head and wrote it down. Sirius' fingers were toying with the hem of her skirt and no matter how much he irritated her, his fingers were doing wonders to her leg and she tried not to get distracted.

"Okay, next question. _Name the three Unforgivable curses_. Sweet Merlin, where's Lily when you need her?" Marlene sighed helplessly. She really sucked at this.

"The Killing curse, the Cruciatus curse and the Imperius Curse," the pillow in her lap said. Marlene made a face and it laughed. "You know, I just can _feel_ how you're shooting daggers at me with your eyes."

"If you don't want me to look at you, then _shut up_," she responded, poking the boy in his ribs and scribbling the answers down next to the question.

"In that case I'll keep blabbing," he grinned, throwing the pillow away and smirking at her. "You know, McKinnon, I just _love _it when you look at me."

For some weird reason, she turned red. People had told her Sirius Black fancied her, but she always waved it away. She didn't want the biggest idiot and womanizer at Hogwarts to fancy her. He would only get her into trouble. Besides, the 'relationship' she'd have with him, would mean nothing to him. The next day, he'd see another cute girl and he would forget all about her. No, it was better for her to wave it all away.

"Bugger for you I don't look at you often, no?" Marlene avoided his eyes and pretended she was reading her next question. She was almost done. Another two questions and she was rid of Sirius Black and his stupid grin.

"Oh, McKinnon, don't play hard to get," Sirius pouted. "I know for a _fact_ you always look at me."

That wasn't true. She only watched him when he walked into the library, or the common room. Okay, maybe she also noticed him when he came into the Great Hall during breakfast, lunch and dinner. She definitely watched him play Quidditch, as the trousers did him absolute _wonders_. Not that she'd tell him that. Merlin, no! She had a reputation to maintain.

"You and I both know that's not true," she protested. Alice had told her once she couldn't lie, and apparently Sirius thought the same thing.

"You're lying," he grinned.

Marlene bit her lip when she felt her cheeks began to burn. "You're _bluuuuuushing_!" he teased.

"I'm not!"

"_Yes_, you are!" Sirius discussed, pushing her shoulder.

"Black…" she threatened. He was much closer than only a few seconds ago and she didn't like it.

"McKinnon," he answered in the exact same tone, sliding even closer. His hand rested on the couch behind her. "Do you want to kiss me?" he asked while looking straight into Marlene's eyes and leaning in.

_The bet. You're going to lose the bet. _So instead of answering, she grabbed a bean out of his almost empty box and put it in her mouth. "Of course not," I shrugged and she broke the spell between them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of homework to do." She pushed him off the couch and stood up, grabbing her homework and trying to hide her proud expression.

_Sweet Merlin, that was close_.


End file.
